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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (For Friday, March 30th)

Andrew: Hello reader! We missed last week's Thursday preview of new releases thanks to our vacation in Michigan, but we're back with it this week. Last week will be hard to top because of the massive success that was The Hunger Games, but there are some films coming out this week that have certainly been getting some air-time whether through tons of commercials or being talked about in the news.

The biggest film coming out this weekend, arguably, is Mirror Mirror - the first of two Snow White adaptations hitting theatres this year (the other being Snow White and the Huntsman). Mirror Mirror stars Julia Roberts as The Queen who will do anything to make sure she remains the "fairest of them all" and also stars up-and-coming actress Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White and Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as The Prince.

Sarah, personally I think this adaptation of the classic fairy tale looks too.....childish. What do you think?

Sarah: Oh yes, it is definitely the kid-version of the two that are coming out this year. Now, I don't think it looks as bad as you think it looks. I actually wouldn't mind seeing this one just so that we can say that we saw both of the Snow White movies that unfortunately decided to come out in the same year. I actually think that both of them have weaknesses so it will be interesting to see what those are.

What do you think about it?

Official Trailer for Mirror Mirror

A: I won't mind seeing it (and we will, because we write a movie review blog), but I do think it looks too cheeky for my taste; a little too jokey. Compared to how Snow White and the Huntsman looks like, Mirror Mirror seems like it's more for the younger crowd.

That said, I AM interested in seeing how Hammer does in a comedic role, what Roberts' take on The Queen will be, and to see what Lily Collins can do in such an iconic role. I've really only ever seen her in The Blind Side and she didn't get much to do there, and we didn't see her in Abduction or Priest because they both looked horrible.

S: Well, I suppose we will see when we see it!

Ok, the second big film coming out this week is Wrath of the Titans, the sequel to 2010’s Clash of the Titans. Now I did not see the first one, but the previews for this one actually look like a pretty good action flick. This movie is also filled with some pretty big names – Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes - so that could be kinda cool to see as well. What do you think about this one?

Official Trailer for Wrath of the Titans

A: I did not see Clash of the Titans either, and that was because while it looked like it had some good action in it, it looked like a crappy movie overall. We have friends who've seen Clash and say they liked it, so I think we should maybe rent that first and then see Wrath.

Again, because I haven't seen the first one, I only know that it's loosely based on the tale of Perseus. I also know the new one coming out is about Hades and Ares releasing the Titans on the Earth, so I'm more intrigued with the sequel because I'm a fan of Greek mythology and am interested in the depictions of all the characters involved.

Ok, moving on to Goon, a sports comedy with Sean William Scott and Jay Baruchel. I don't know too much about this one except that Scott plays a hockey player. I do love Baruchel though so that might convince me to head to the theatres. What are your thoughts on this one?

Official Trailer for Goon

A: I've been looking forward to Goon for a while now. The concept is relatively simple - Sean William Scott plays a bouncer who signs with a minor league hockey team to be their "enforcer" and not much else. Michael Dowse, who also directed Take Me Home Tonight, a film I thoroughly enjoyed, directs it and it was written by Baruchel and Evan Goldberg (Superbad), so it sounds like the pedigree behind it really cared for it.

The only other release this week that is noteworthy is the documentary Bully. It's been making splashes in the national media because the MPAA originally gave it a R rating due to language. The Weinstein Company tried to appeal the rating to a PG-13 so teenagers could see it in theatres without needing their parents but was unsuccessful. Arguing that it's an educational movie that should be seen in schools, and with the backing of a number of Congressmen, the Weinsteins are releasing it unrated to make a statement.

I know that AMC Theatres will be showing the film in limited release this weekend and will allow children under the age of 17 to see it with a signed permission slip from parents, which I think is a great idea. We saw the trailer for Bully yesterday - what did it make you think, Sarah?

Official Trailer for Bully

S: I really think that Bully looks amazing. It’s a movie that I think will really make waves not only in the movie circuit but also in the political circles and parent groups. This is a movie that sounds like it should be seen by everyone. We need to be reminded that bullying is not limited to the homosexual children or children of a different race. It can really affect anyone. It actually really disgusts me that it has taken children killing themselves for the world to stop and go, "Oh, this might be a problem." I really hope that this will change things.

A: Well said. I hope that it gets to a theatre near us soon because I definitely do want to see it, and agree with what you said. Readers, watch the trailer and tell me that the teacher who says the kids on the bus are just angels isn't despicable.

Ok! With all of that said, it's time for us to rank the films coming out this week in regards to which ones we're most likely to see in theatres:

1.) Mirror Mirror

2.) Bully (when it gets near us)

3.) Goon

4.) Wrath of the Titans

We should also say that Jeff, Who Lives at Home and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen both finally got to our neck of the woods, so we'll be trying to see those as soon as we can and get our reviews up for those. As always, thanks for reading!